Missing Family
by OBStar20
Summary: Just a short thing I wrote for english class! It is about a man who finds his long lost brother sitting on his couch when he comes home for break.


Lisa Kimball

Creative Writing: Short Story

March 8, 2006

Things were slow that afternoon at the deli. I had just finished with the lunch receipts, and Andrea was taking care of the two customers at the counter and the softball players, who were well into their third order of hot wings, at the corner table. So I made a rare decision to go home for my break.

Driving home, I kept the window down to enjoy the crisp October air and the sunshine playing off the cumulus clouds. A song played on the radio—one that sounded oddly familiar, like a dream you can only remember a small part of, and I didn't feel like turning the volume up any louder. I passed the golf course, where a few people were already taking advantage of the reduced afternoon greens fees, driving their golf balls out over the glittering lake by the second tee. I remembered being younger on afternoons like this, wanting nothing more than for the sunshine and breeze to go on forever.

When I pulled into my driveway, something seemed wrong. Nothing looked out of place, yet something seemed different from when I had left in the morning. I checked the front door, which was still locked, then opened it with the key. And my chest tightened when I saw him there, sitting on the living room couch. "Hey," he said, "I bet I'm the last person you ever expected to see."

It took me a second to recover from the shock of thinking that the person sitting on the couch was an unexpected robber. I slid off my coat, and threw the key on a near-by table. The man stood up, and I went over and embraced him in a tight hug. "I thought you were gone forever," I exclaimed as I stepped back to look at him. It had been so long since we had last seen each other, and I was busy wondering how he came back. "It is so good to see you again, Eric." As it turned out, Eric was my long lost younger brother, whom everyone thought died in a tragic car accident.

"You would be surprised how long it took me to get back here," said Eric as he turned to refill his seat on the couch. I sat down next to him, wondering what he meant by his last statement. "I bet you are wondering where I have been for the last ten years, well I guess I better start from the beginning." Eric took a deep breath, and plunged into the story of the last ten years of his life.

_Flashback—_I was sitting on the downstairs couch and watching television. I was home visiting my parents for Christmas, fresh out of college and looking to get a decent start in the real world. My mother was in the kitchen, preparing the food for tomorrow's Christmas feast with the family. My father, on the other hand, was down in his wood shop, working on Christmas presents for the younger members of our family. As a child I remembered getting a wooden creation from my parents every year for Christmas. I was simply waiting for my younger brother to show up, because he was driving home from college tonight. He was a junior at one of the colleges about 100 miles away.

I got up from the couch, and went to the window. It was getting dark out now, and the weather was taking a turn for the worse. I just hoped that Eric would be able to make it home with out any troubles. I erased any bad thoughts from my head and went to the kitchen to get a drink. As I walked into the kitchen, the phone rang, and my mother dropped her spoon to get it. I figured it was just a telemarketer or someone calling to sell us something, so I didn't think twice. After about five minutes of talking on the phone, my mother hung up and came bolting in the room. I could tell she had tears in her eyes, but she told me to go get my father.

Upon returning with my father, my mom broke down and told us both that Eric had been killed. Apparently he was driving on the interstate down by the river, when he was rear ended by someone, and lost control of his car. His car plunged into the river, and from what the police told my mother, he did not survive. We spent the rest of the Christmas holiday and the next couple years mourning his death. It was only after those few years, was I able to accept the fact that my younger brother, the one I was supposed to protect, was gone forever. It was only a few weeks later, when we had the funeral for Eric, without his body. _End Flashback_

"Well little did anyone know, I jumped out of the car before it plunged into the river," Eric looked at me to see if I was grasping all that he was telling me. "When I woke up, I was in a hospital, with no recollection of who I was or where I was from. So I went on living in the world with no memories of family or friends." Eric got up from the couch and went over to the window. "It has only been about three months since all of my memories have started coming back." He turned around to look at me, but I sat still on the couch, wondering what to do next. "I realize that this is a lot for you to take in now, but you have got to help me tell mom and dad that I am still alive. I also need help getting my life back together, with all that I have missed the past ten years."

I took a second to gather my thoughts before speaking. "I am just so happy to see you, I don't know what to tell you. I agree that you should tell mom and dad that you are still alive. But are you sure you are ready to go back to living your life as it was?" I looked quizzically at him, allowing myself time to figure out what to say next. "I am willing to help you get back to your old life again, but you do realize that most people have forgotten about you in the past ten years. It may be a nasty shock to some to see you alive again."

"Why do you think you are the first person I came to? I knew you would listen to me and believe that it really was me standing here and not some poser." Eric went over to the mantel and leaned against it, looking at all the pictures that were displayed there.

"Forget I said anything. Lets just get to mom and dad's, we shouldn't put this off too much longer. I know they are going to be shocked to see you." I stood up and went over to grab my coat and my keys. After putting on my coat, I turned to see Eric doing the same thing I just did.  
As I was getting ready to walk out the door I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Eric there. "Thank you for always being there for me and listening to me, even though I haven't been around the past ten years. I never realized how much I missed my family till they were gone." I embraced Eric again in another hug, and as I pulled back, I said, "Hey, that is what big brothers are for!" I turned and started down to the car with Eric following me. I realized what Eric said was true; you never really miss your family for friends until they are gone for good.


End file.
